University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital

I don’t hear about a lot of bad experiences here, but mine was particularly awful. I had a sick cat, probably 11 years old, who had not been eating enough for a while, on and off. She was once a good eater, and I tried a bunch of different foods she might like, from premium Instinct to wet food to corn-​based treats (she seemed to favor the delicious corn junkfood when she would not eat anything else), and she was not putting on the weight she lost anymore.
My guy Kurt at Caring Hands (GREAT vet, I’d highly recommend CH) referred me here, and that’s when things just kept getting worse. I spent about $ 4000 total in 4 months trying to figure out what was the matter with my cat, and the people at Vet Med kept recommending more elaborate tests, biopsies and the like.
I’d get new people every time and I’d have to explain all over again what the problem was. Towards the end, I got a couple of people who kept calling my cat «he» though she’s female, and I was pretty much thinking «these people went to school to become vets?» At one point they thought she had an infection so they gave me solid antibiotic pills to take home. For a cat with very bad stomach issues. Yea, they were hard to administer and she’d barf those right back up.
She died of sepsis, a stupid bacterial infection, which could have been prevented if any of these people would use commonsense or knew what they were doing.
I wish I could have been a better advocate for my cat when these people didn’t seem to know what was going on and kept doing things that I clearly saw were stupid after the fact. If I knew the seriousness of her condition, I might have been.
Not to say this is a bad hospital; it’s well-​equipped, it has loads of caring, compassionate people who are on-​the-​ball. It just felt like I was being passed around to different vets using my best non-​human friend to ‘gain experience,’ doing a bunch of tests to limit their liability while not giving her the help she needed.

Amazing! As a kid, my parents took our dog Mini here who had cancer. After chemotherapy, and a lot of care, she ended up beating it!
Recently, our English Bulldog had been very sick and our regular vet suggested that we take her here. Dr. Jambhekar has been amazing and after several tests, we found out the cause and her meds have helped tremendously! We are so lucky to have these guys in the area!

Event Review
This is a review for the annual open house at the U of I Vet Teaching Hospital. I was amazed at the size of the campus. It is nice having an open house to meet vet students who are enthusiastic about their profession and also see the various animals including horses, cows, pigs, etc. This is a great event for the little ones. Make sure you arrive early, parking is difficult to find around here and also lines form at the more exciting attractions. Tons of samples of food for your dogs or cats as well. I can’t comment too much on the actual Vet services, but it is a cool experiences for the young and old! Check the website for the date of the event. I was told it happens every fall.

Small animal clinic review:
While it’s a drive from Chicago (bonus points if you’re a local!), I really couldn’t have found a better place to bring my boys for a dental cleaning and SEVERAL extractions.
My dog Payton, has a heart murmur. While I totally trust my vet here in Chicago, I’m a paranoid doggie mom. What if XYZ happens?! What if??? U of I Vet clinic has not only board certified staff to work on my boys, they have every specialist you can think of that’s on staff should something go wrong (anesthesiologist, cardiologist, oncologists, you name it!). Plus, in addition to having caring Vets on staff, the Vet students are an added bonus. They were by my boys side through it all!
Dr. Somrak was the inital doctor who I was in touch with. She spent probably close to 20 minutes on the phone with me answering every single question I had prior to our visit. When the big day came, both Dr. Somrak and Dr. Kling were there on duty to see my boys through both their cleanings and extractions.
Post surgery, both doctors, and med students were there to talk me through everything that had just happened. Both Dr. Somrak and Dr. Kling were super awesome in explaining every single detail that happened that day, as well as post-​surgery care/​follow-​up.
It is very evident that all the staff here cares deeply for their profession and their clients.
If you’re a paranoid momma like me, I would not hesitate to bring them down to U of I vet clinic!

*** Update 6÷17÷2015 ***
Still the best there is, as far as I’m concerned. My dumpling with the bad teeth has been to VTH a few more times since my earlier review, including another trip just yesterday. My guy’s needs are beyond what the local ver offers, so we take the early-​morning 120-​mile drive. It’s a long day (I left at about 5:45 a.m. and got home around 9:30 p.m.), and an expensive one, but to my mind, it’s worth it.
Here’s why:
1) My dog gets the care he needs. At Urbana, the dog is assigned a student whose mission for that day is to make sure the dog gets everything he needs. Locally, that one-​to-​one care is just not going to be available. One time, my dog’s student told me he was required to log my guy’s vitals every five minutes. Seems to me it would be hard to miss something bad happening with that kind of attention.
2) If my dog needs anything extraordinary, chances are, it will be available at the Small Animal Clinic. My guy has some heart issues, so before the dentists can work on him, he gets cleared by a cardiologist. It’s not cheap, but I feel better knowing that my dog is likely to survive anesthesia.
3) They explain everything. I probably ask some really stupid questions, but they’re always happy to answer them.
4) They don’t seem to mind dealing with my dog. We all know he has issues with vets (especially vets with anything in their hands, like scopes or even name tags); they take the appropriate precautions, and that works out just great.
I’m glad these people are there.
*** Original review 10/​26/​2012 ***
There’s nothing anywhere quite like the Small Animal Clinic at the U of I Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
My first trip there was a few years ago, when one of my dogs needed a root canal. No one local would even talk to me without my spending $ 150 for them to see the dog. All I wanted was a ballpark figure, some idea of what this would cost, so I didn’t get surprised. Not only did Dr. Manfra give me a general range of the cost, she spent a good 20 minutes talking me through, generally, how the procedure would work, and a few possible options.
Wow. They were fantastic — treated Casey like a 50-​pound prince, and they treated me very well, too. They even had suggestions as to what I might do in town for the day, since I was going to be there all day. Great! Not that I could think of anything but how my little dumpling was doing, but it was very nice of them to go the extra mile.
I took both of my little dumplings to have their teeth cleaned a couple days ago. One, no problem. The other had a heart murmur they wanted to check out before his procedure; turns out, there’s a little something wrong, but right now, it’s more something to watch than something to worry about. Then, he needed more than a teeth cleaning — there were a couple teeth that were iffy the last time we were there, but were now definite for having to come out. Fine — I know this guy has some problems, maybe owing to genetics, maybe owing to the rough time he had before he wound up with me.
I want to make clear that this isn’t a case of people looking to find something wrong so they can pile on the extra expensive procedures. I knew my guy had some major dental problems going way back. The only thing I didn’t know about was the heart murmur; I’m glad they found that, told me what to look for, at what point they’d need to look at it further. I am completely comfortable with what they did and the way they did it.
Anyway, to make a long story a bit shorter, it was an expensive day, and a long day, but no complaints here. Everyone left me feeling that my dogs couldn’t have been in better hands.
If I could make one suggestion, it would be to add the small animal clinic to the U of I’s public WiFi network. That would have been handy, but certainly isn’t a reason to go somewhere else.
Anything that’s out of the range of my neighborhood vet comes here. If I lived a little closer, these guys might become my regular vet.

Took our dog to the ER after her becoming very ill. Turns out she had eaten part of a blanket that was caught between her stomach and intestines. We arrived around 6:00 pm and after hydrating her she had emergency surgery at 2:30 am. They kept us advised on every step they took. Without UI we have lost our dog that night. I can never thank them enough. She was released two days later and in no time was back to her old self. They continued to call us and check on her for the next two weeks. So grateful to have such a wonderful facility so close to us.

Best vet experience ever! We took our newborn Jack Russel Terriers, and their mama there before and after birth, and they were great! The techs, front desk staff and the doctor were all great. I also love that they take Care Credit. Newborn puppies are expensive and this helped us with that process.

Am I the only person that had a horrible experience here? My dog was in a clinical trial for cancer research. He was put on a immune suppressant drug. He developed an bacterial infection which manifested itself as gastrointestinal problems. We drove the dog 3 hours to the clinic and left him there for 3 days of testing. We were told it was a reaction to the medication and the dog was depressed. We were told to keep him on the anti diarrhea medication and continue to give him the immune suppressant. The two worse things to do for the dog. Needless to saw the dog’s condition became worse. I began to send video’s of the dog in a unresponsive state. The vet was only concerned about me giving the dog the meds. (Literally kept calling and e-​mailing me «Are you going to give him the medication» They kept reiterating the dog was depressed Needless to say the dog became very ill at which point the University of Illinois Vet called to tell us that the dog was being removed from the study because he was not a good candidate for the study. In other words he was not going to make it and they did not want that on their record. So our dog got removed from the study. At that point he had completed 25 days of his 28 day trial. I have never even received an «I’m sorry» note or call. It was truly a horrible experience.

This review is for the LARGE animal clinic (horses and livestock). I had a bad experience with the small animal clinic where they were prepared to do $ 1800 worth of tests on my elderly cat to MAYBE diagnose (not treat) her without discussing the cost with me?! BUT the LARGE animal clinic is awesome! It is the only place in town that will look at chickens. My backyard chickens are kind of a hybrid between pet and livestock and they were so sweet about understanding of that. They examined each chicken for AN HOUR! So thorough! And it only cost $ 25?! I pretty much knew going in that both would need to be euthanized but they still discussed possibilities with me and did not act like it was ridiculous that I was bringing in a chicken. I really can’t praise them enough for their compassion and competent treatment.

I have went to the U of I on an emergency and they were fantastic with my dog. I’ve since went to them numerous times and I’m always treated with top notch care and enjoy the up and coming animal vets. Would highly recommend them not only as a school but as a clinic!

Was referred here from our primary care veterinarian to help diagnose and treat a dermatology issue with our dog.
It was a relief to learn they are upfront with pricing and do not do unnecessary testing or procedures. Are cost conscious on the pet owners behalf.
Doctor was very through and explained everything and made sure all my questions were answered.

Our local vet recommended the U of I VTH when our puppy was in bad shape. We drove over an hour to get him there. The students and doctors are wonderful people and practice excellent care. Highly recommended.

I’ve been going here for years with my three dogs. Our one dog has a rare eye disease that requires daily drops — the opthomology dept here is top notch! Dr. Hamor is so nice and super friendly. We couldn’t be happier with him and are very glad that such a great optho dept is so close to us! When we lived in NJ, we had to drive an hour to get to a specialist. But anyway, our youngest dog had a litter of pups, and we did all the reproduction work (xrays, ultrasound, fertilization, etc) through the reproduction dept. TOP NOTCH! EXCELLENT! Can’t complain… Dr. Sauberli is amazing. We’ve also done dental work and dermotology work here as well — EXCELLENT.
Now the bad stuff… our eldest dog was diagnosed with rectal cancer. It’s not an immediately life threatening form, but they’ve given her less than a year basically — she’s almost 11. We were all set on just giving her pain meds and eventually letting her go. But the oncology dept had the surgical dept phone us and they basically guilted us into operating on her (saying that our dog would die a horrible death if left untreated and that if it was his dog, he would operate right away! Age is not a disease. Quality of life would be much better and she would be a happy dog). Anyway, I had a bad feeling going into the surgery — well, now our beloved dog is back home but is leaking poop everywhere (on the floor, on the couch, on their bedding, in the garage, at the door, EVERYWHERE). She’s incontinent. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve picked up poop that’s leaking out of her butt or how many times we’ve washed the floor. We’ve basically banished the dogs (the other two dogs just wind up stepping into the poop) to the backyard. We don’t even want them in the house anymore! What kind of quality of life is that for us AND them?! I’ve brought up these concerns with the surgical dept and they just said that maybe we could just confine her to a crate — she’s going to be lying in her poop?! I don’t think so. I’m sooo mad at the UofI surgical department. Just because they can perform the surgery, doesn’t mean that they SHOULD perform the surgery. Sometimes I think that since they’re a teaching hospital, they’re looking for patients that they can use so that they can teach the students… they have their students best interests in mind, not the pets… but you’ll never get them to admit that.
If you’re going to come to the UofI for surgery — I would think long and hard about it. What will YOUR quality of life be post-​surgery while looking after your pet. What will your pets quality of life be post-​surgery… is it really in your best interest for your pet or just for the teaching aspect?

I can’t say enough good things about the Small Animal Clinic.
They were upfront with me about my dog’s condition and his prognosis. They answered all my questions. They told me about the University’s Pet Loss/​Grieving Service. They told me what prices would be upfront; in the end, they charged me less; and, they gave me an itemized bill.
My dog has cancer, an oral melanoma, and I took him there to get second opinion; I ended up deciding to treat my dog and Dr. MacFadden performed a mandibulectomy (sp?) where they removed part of his jaw. I’m planning to have chemo for my dog now.
I had to leave my dog there for three days, for the surgery and the post-​op recuperation. A vet student from the Clinic, Darren Imhoff, called mebefore and after the surgery, and once every day to let me know how my dog was doing. Darren went over the procedure with me before my dog went into surgery; then the surgeon came in and went over the procedure he’d follow in surgery with me again, this time using a model of a dog’s head to show me where the incisions would be.
The surgeon did a beautiful job on my dog’s face. In essence, he saved my dog’s face. My dog is still my dog when I look at him, and that makes me very happy, as does the fact that my dog is alert and happy. His recuperation from surgery was surprisingly easy.
When my regular vet reviewed the paper work and saw my dog after the surgery, he pointed out what a great job the surgeon had done on my dog and remarked on how thorough the pre-​surgery diagnostic tests, and the reporting on them, were.
I’m so grateful to the folks at the Small Animal Clinic. I highly recommend them.
One other thing: As you drive south down Lincoln Avenue in Urbana to get to the clinic, you pass the Japanese Gardens of the Horticulture School, which is very spiritually soothing when you’re worried about your dog.

We brought our cat, Rocky, to the Small Pet Emergency and Critical Care unit at the teaching hospital, when we found him laboring to breathe under our bed. It was not an easy decision to make: we are on a very tight budget and, besides, we had only adopted him the week before from the Humane Society. But he was clearly in a lot of pain and needed help.
Not only does the Teaching Hospital have state-​of-​the-​art equipment and the best trained doctors and technicians, but they make it clear from the very beginning that their number one concern is the animal. Yes, it is $ 98 for the visit and exam, which is eighteen more than the Animal Emergency Clinic, but boy were we happy with our decision. Because it is a teaching and research hospital, our cat was able to participate in an imaging study, which provided free x-​rays and CT scans, saving us upwards of $ 1,000. And when the prognosis came back, and we explained that we could not afford the treatment, they were upfront with us about the realities of our cat’s condition and even offered to try and match whatever we could afford to pay.
If your pet is in trouble and you can’t reach your vet, do the right thing and get it the help it needs. We were too late for our cat, but we don’t hold that against the hospital: they did everything they could to help, spending well over five hours and who knows how many resources. I can’t recommend them highly enough, and I urge anyone with a little extra money to donate. Donations will help folks like us, who were not yet in a position to give their friend the help he needed.

I have a special place in my heart for this hospital. We used to drive to this hospital every week to get chemotherapy for our beloved child (dog). Our vet in Chicago recommended we go here because they are the best.
The doctors and staff treated us with utmost respect and compassion. Anyone who has been through sickness of their pet knows how hard it is. Unlike many vets that try to make money by instituting unnecessary treatments, these doctors were honest about the prognosis and outcomes from the very beginning. They treated our dog like their own.
I encouraged my friends and relatives to donate to the hospital for the care they provided to our dog. I will always be thankful to them.

We are so lucky to have these experts in our backyard. The afterhours ER is an extra bonus. I recently needed the ER and was extremely pleased with the care my dog received. Seriously, no matter what odd ailment your pet has, there is likely an expert who specializes in that field. If you’re lucky, you may even get to work with a budding young vet student. I find them to be so overly conscientious and smart… it’s almost sickening. And this is not just a place for locals… my parents used to bring our horses here for extra special care when the Chicago Vets were stumped. You won’t find more dedicated staff anywhere. In fact, I would almost rather have these Vets treat me and my family rather than trust the local doctors, who by the way have left my son with a strange foot issue for the past several weeks. We’ll be in Chicago this weekend so I guess we can balance the universe and see a doctor at Northwestern and let more Chicagoans bring their sick pets to Urbana.